Westernization linked to breast cancer rise

	Tweet

The breast cancer rate is rising among women in Singapore and appears to be approaching that seen in Europe, researchers report. The introduction of a Westernized lifestyle and child-bearing pattern may underlie this trend, they suggest.

Lead investigator Dr. Kee-Seng Chia told Reuters Health that the breast cancer incidence in Singapore will continue to increase over the next decades. “In the year 2015, one out of every 10 women is likely to develop breast cancer in her lifetime.”

Chia, at the National University of Singapore, and colleagues came to this conclusion after comparing data for more than 10,000 breast cancer cases reported in Singapore from 1968 to 1997 with more than 135,000 Swedish cases in the same period.

The incidence rate of breast cancer increased in Sweden from 54 to 77 per 100,000 women. However, in Singapore the rate increased 20 to 44 per 100,000, the researchers report in the International Journal of Cancer.

They note that the incidence rate was increasing almost three times faster among the youngest age group of women in Singapore than in the corresponding group in Sweden.

In addition, continued Chia, an “increasing number of post-menopausal women will also be coming down with breast cancer as our pattern shifts from the pre-menopausal to post-menopausal age group.”

“It is too late for these women to avoid the risk factors,” Chia said. However, “Increased self-awareness and early diagnosis can catch the cancer at an early stage and improve prognosis.”

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, January 1, 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
Mammography every two years may be OK after 50   Study finds breast cancer test unreliable   Kylie’s case shows breast cancer can strike early   Breast cancer screening test deemed inaccurate   Promo for breast cream causes uproar in Thailand   Link between painkillers and breast cancer unclear   Processed Soy Products Linked To Tumour Growth   Big Differences In Countries Masectomy Rates   Gene ‘signature’ may predict breast cancer relapse   Counseling boosts breast cancer recovery   Underactive Thyroid Cuts Breast Cancer Risk   Deadlier form of cancer found in black women

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]